Gazebos, Awnings, and Pergolas for Cool Patios

Shading Tuscan Style Patios

The Tuscan style can seamlessly work with a lot of your existing patio shade ideas such as pergolas. If you have neutral tones or stucco exteriors then this is a great theme for an outdoor entertaining area. It also works well for a lot of parties because the Tuscan style is often associated with food.

Usually, you will have some type of structure to provide shade for your patio. It could be a typical wood pergola design or you might find more ornate covered patios or gazebos in this type of outdoor living space. There are even enclosed patios with vaulted or arched ceilings because this is in keeping with the ornate Italian architecture.

For a Tuscan style shade covering typically you’d want to go with a pergola. Don’t paint it white but leave it in a natural wood tone or find a chocolate brown PVC to mimic the look. A staple of the Tuscan style is dark wood posts and beams. A pergola instantly imitates this.

Using the Pergola as a Trellis or Arbor

If you want even more shade then this style does use a lot of greenery over entire arbors and pergolas. Usually this has grape vines or ivy on them. Bringing in fabric elements will be a little bit trickier because this style tends to use very ornate and heavy fabrics that just are found in outdoor versions. Ironically usually an insect screen will be quite elegant looking. Just look for bronze or gold versions that will mimic metallic sheers.

The wood tones from your pergola can actually be the inspiration for the entire space. One trend in stamped concrete is to actually make it look like a wood floor but of course the upkeep is much easier and you can even use it outdoors. This is a pretty intricate project that’s best left to the professionals but it does give you a pretty convincing look.

Even Simple Structures can be Beautiful with Trellised Vines

Paving a Patio the Tuscan Way

Terra-cotta is another staple material in this design. Again going with the actual tiles probably isn’t suitable for outdoor use, no matter how covered your patio is. This means integrating a stained concrete style to mimic tile.

The other style of structure that you can create is going to have a covered bench. This can match the exterior or just be a totally new addition. This is one of the trendiest outdoor materials but it’s also something that we see a lot of in the Tuscan design. If you don’t want to redo the entire exterior of your home then adding on a pergola with a few of these accents can be a way that you can get in on the design trends as well.

Also consider the use of your patio. This is going to determine what time of day you’re going to need shade or if you’re even going to need any at all. Of course when you think of the Italian themes you probably think of food. If you have a large covered patio you may not know exactly what to do with it. Look for an oversized farmhouse dining table. You may need to have this custom made. Instead of several smaller eating areas just add in one large rectangular piece that can even go the entire length of your patio and provides you with lots of seating too.

Faux Finishes are Genuine Tuscan

The Tuscan style in interior design is known for a lot of faux finishes. You can use some of these elements outdoors on your actual pergola. Of course you still need to stick with more durable finishes. You might be able to distress some of the beams or let Mother Nature do this for you. This doesn’t use a lot of chipped paint but instead creates more of a weathered or glazed style appearance.

Just choose one faux finish per space. If you have a faux cobblestone patio floor then you might want to take some of the colors to use on your pergola as inspiration. However, just use flat paint finishes in muted grays or blues. Sage green would also be subtle enough outdoors to be convincing in this style.

Accessories for a Tuscan Pergola

If you want more shade than a pergola provides then be prepared to spend a little bit more money on it. You can create wide strips of outdoor fabric and weave them through the pergola braces. You will need to finish off either side of this, but it just requires you to sew a straight line. For the Tuscan style you’ll need to go with patterned fabrics.

Traditionally, you just find these in stripes on outdoor fabrics but this can still work if you choose the right color palette such as dark burgundies and golds. However, anytime you can get a more ornate paisley print this is going to be better in some floral choices. As long as you use rich tones it can also work for this style. It definitely will be a shade structure that no one else will have which is always an advantage to doing DIY projects.

I also like this style if you have an unfinished covered porch. This does use a lot of exposed beams that a lot of the other styles tend to cover up. You may need to stain them in a darker wood tone too. Tuscan style themes will use more built-in architecture for shade.

Shade Ideas

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